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There are over 400,000 registered basketball players in Australia, with many hundreds of thousands more who play socially.

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Basketball Australia is the governing and controlling body for the sport of basketball in Australia and is located in Wantirna South, Victoria.

BA runs the WNBL, SEABL, national teams and national junior championships.

Basketball is an Olympic and Paralympic sport and shares one of the highest international profiles and in 2008 Australia's proud tradition with on court success continued, with Australia winning 3 medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.read more

Having already gotten a taste of SEABL with the Centre of Excellence side and the NBL with the Cairns Taipans, White is now looking at a college career in the USA as he aims to fulfill his dream of playing basketball professionally.

“I went on visits before Christmas last year to Hawaii, Temple University in Philadelphia and Boise State University in Idaho,” said White.

“After these Champs, I will visit a few more schools before I make my decision.”

White is currently representing Victoria Navy at the U20’s competition in Ipswich, a team that looks to be the favourite to take out the title in what would be the state’s seventh consecutive Championship.

He was a part of last year’s title winning team, a game against Tasmania that is already famous as it went to double-overtime.

“Especially coming off last year, it feels great to represent Victoria again. Growing up as a country kid and having the opportunity to play with mates you have grown up with is so much fun.

“I always enjoy playing against the competition, you don’t get this opportunity too often and you realise just how good the talent around the country is.”

As a 200cm forward, White’s athleticism and touch around the rim has been developed through the Centre of Excellence program where he joined in June, 2014.

His growth there as well as his time with the Australian Emu’s helped put him on the radar of the NBL and he was picked up for his debut mid-way through January this year by the Cairns Taipans when Stephen Weigh went down with a knee injury.

“Cairns came out of the blue but it was a great experience. I got to see the professional lifestyle and had the chance to grasp it on a daily basis. It was a great challenge and something I really enjoyed.”

Playing two seasons in the SEABL helped White’s development tremendously but his time in the NBL was a realisation of the commitment that professional sports people need.

“The NBL was definitely tougher, having to play against more experienced and bigger bodies. It was good to see how smart they are, how they look after themselves and how they sustain such long careers.”

While his commitment to a US college will be based around the school’s basketball program, there are other factors that White must consider.

“The most important thing is to look at the development the college offers and the relationships you have with coaches.

“I take my education pretty seriously as well so I want to make the most of the free education that I would get with a scholarship. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do so I want to get the most out of it.”

White’s immediate future involves another season in the SEABL as he finishes his scholarship with the Centre of Excellence.

Although he aims to then complete a four-year college stint, his ultimate dream sees him return him to Australia.

“My dream is to make a living out of the game and to represent my country.”

Jack White can currently be seen in Ipswich, Queensland where he is competing for Vic Navy in his sixth Junior/School Championships.